Alpha

Nicholas found himself perched comfortably on a rugged boulder, his eyes locked onto the imposing assembly of members from his pack. In the air, there hung a palpable sense of impending change, and he readied himself with unwavering determination to confront any upheaval that loomed on the horizon. Despite his outward appearance, he was an ancient wolf, bearing the weight of countless years, and within the eyes of his fellow packmates, he was regarded as a revered elder, even though his youthful countenance belied his true age.

He had borne witness silently to the reign of the former alpha and his mate, and now, his loyalty was steadfastly pledged to Augustus Black's son.

For nearly two decades, Benjamin had shouldered the mantle of leadership over the pack. He ruled with an unyielding hand, yet he stood among the rare alphas who held the diverse opinions of each pack member in the highest regard. This exceptional quality had earned him the esteemed reputation of a just and equitable leader, one under whose guidance the pack had flourished. However, concealed beneath his outwardly calm and even-tempered demeanor, shadows lurked within his soul. As the steward of a strong and thriving pack, Benjamin grappled with the unceasing need for balance, and of late, that elusive equilibrium had proven difficult to maintain.

His inner wolf, Onix, remained restless and agitated, adding an intricate layer of complexity to his role as a leader. Nicholas comprehended that Benjamin favored a gentle approach in his rule, but circumstances occasionally compelled him to embrace a darker, more ruthless methodology. Those who dared to defy the alpha's commands were condemned to a harrowing fate in a desolate, secluded enclave, where they met their gruesome end. Within the pack, the assumption was that Benjamin orchestrated these actions, oblivious to the fact that Nicholas assisted him on certain occasions.

Nicholas bore the formidable title of the pack's enforcer, and he was the sole confidant privy to the darker facets of his alpha's character. He had accepted Benjamin's dual nature without reservation, for his own father, Augustus Black, had wielded a similar duality in his governance, and it had never stirred a hint of unease within Nicholas.

A man like Benjamin, a direct descendant of one of the mightiest alphas, could not stray far from his familial lineage. This stark contrast was particularly noticeable when compared to his sister, Alina, who possessed the innate gentleness characteristic of the ancient moon within the pack. However, in recent days, Nicholas detected Onix's presence dangerously close to the surface, and that foreshadowed a foreboding future. Among the pack's elders, a leader whose wolf manifested as a distinct entity was perceived as a potential risk.

While such occurrences were rare, they had led to the demise of Augustus Black. The elders had deemed him perilous and had executed him. When Benjamin sensed that his own wolf was treading down a treacherous path, he chose silence and resolutely endeavored to suppress it.

When the previous alpha and his mate had met their tragic end, Benjamin was a mere twenty years old, and Nicholas had been entrusted with his mentorship, grooming him for his eventual role as alpha. Typically, wolves shared an unbreakable bond with their human halves, a harmonious merging of spirit and flesh. Yet, in Benjamin's case, two distinct minds coexisted within one body, and observing his alpha's struggle to maintain control over Onix filled Nicholas with concern.

There was no disputing Benjamin's unmatched physical prowess; he was an alpha beyond compare, and Nicholas had seldom encountered a leader with such unfathomable strength. However, it was Benjamin's inner turmoil that weighed heavily on his friend's mind. Nicholas grasped the paramount importance of Benjamin's peaceful rule and couldn't help but worry if, at some point, Onix would eclipse his human counterpart.

Hence, he fervently hoped that the turmoil gripping Benjamin was solely attributable to the impending arrival of the pack's future Luna. For if it wasn't, they might soon find themselves teetering on the precipice of a perilous transition from human to wolf dominance.

Benjamin currently led one of the most formidable packs in the country, yet without a mate to share his power, the equilibrium teetered precariously, and his inner beast hung by a thread.

Nicholas found himself deeply concerned for his friend, despite his advanced age, which could have easily allowed him to lead his own pack. However, he knew in his heart that leadership wasn't his calling; he thrived in the role he held within Benjamin's pack. Of course, it wasn't an easy task. He had to remain vigilant, constantly on the lookout for the myriad threats that could encircle his alpha.

While age had bestowed upon him wisdom and experience, Nicholas understood that his purpose lay in supporting Benjamin, rather than ascending to a leadership role. His duties were far from straightforward, and he had to navigate the ever-present dangers that surrounded his alpha.

Neither he nor the other warriors had mates, and this fact contributed to the instability of their wolves. But he knew that this was about to change. He could call himself intuitive, but the dynamics within the pack were on the brink of a significant shift.

Certainly, he would cherish having a mate. He could even envision himself with a couple of pups, but the world was so grim and tainted that the mere thought of loving vulnerable beings who could be snatched away filled him with blind rage. He didn't have them yet, and yet he was already prepared to go to any lengths to protect them from anyone who dared to try and take them away.

For now, he would focus on Benjamin, on the unwavering loyalty he held for his alpha, and on being prepared for any potential threat to his alpha and the entire pack. Because he was a wolf capable of killing in cruel and twisted ways, it was best that no one crossed him.

𝑻𝒉𝒆 𝑴𝒐𝒏𝒕𝒂𝒏𝒂 𝑷𝒂𝒄𝒌

Benjamin thought with concern about his mood swings; his Luna would bring peace and serenity to the wolf, love to his life. That's why, if he assumed that she was really the cause of his agitation and turned out not to be, he risked the little self-control he could barely maintain.

As the Alpha, he worked hard for his pack, had agreements with packs and clans across the country, some with alphas in Russia and Spain. These agreements ensured that peace between species and cooperation among clans were guaranteed.

Unlike other Alphas, he had no qualms about maintaining cordial relationships with mortals. He actually had some human friends, like Ryder, for example. His neighbor cooperated with him, keeping an eye out in case it was needed. Benjamin provided him with protection, not that Ryder knew-of course not-but few humans pleased him as much as Ryder did, and that made him a possible target for his enemies.

That's why his wolves' patrols extended to his neighbor's lands. Normally, on Saturdays, he would go to Ryder's house; his friend was a good poker player, and with him, Benjamin wasn't a leader, he wasn't in charge of any pack, he was just a silly wolf who seemed to enjoy losing his money.

However, on that Saturday, he wasn't on his way to drink good beer and have a good time; he was about to receive another good friend, so good that it was worth sacrificing his Saturday games.

Kieran Mathews was the Alpha-a shapeshifter of bears-leader of the Three Peaks Clan. A clan that Benjamin liked because they welcomed all kinds of shapeshifters, even accepting mixtures between species. It was a policy he would like to start, but in his pack, there were very old wolves who clung to tradition, and mixing shapeshifters was, according to their standards, a total aberration.

They were among those who considered wolves at the top of the shifter hierarchy, believing they were kings while others were mere commoners. An example of this, according to traditional thinkers, was that bears remained wild; their beasts were not one with them. But sometimes, Benjamin would like to know what Kieran felt about having another mind in his, sharing decisions. It didn't displease him, nor did it make them seem wild or inferior, but rather stronger than them, the wolves.

Kieran and he had met three years before because one of Benjamin's wolves had arrived wounded at the Three Peaks Clan. Jako had been sent as a goodwill ambassador to the first annual shapeshifter meeting hosted by the Three Peaks Clan. Just before he arrived, he was attacked and seriously injured.

Benjamin traveled there and sympathized with Kieran. After that, they occasionally chatted, and Kieran had already visited them twice.

The new visit- the one that would cost him his poker day- was taking place to sign a treaty between clans and packs. This alliance would completely change the fate of those unmated wolves. Once the treaty was ready and signed by the leaders of each clan in the world, wolves and shifters could roam the lands of other immortals to find their mates.

The hosts committed to welcoming the visitor, providing them with food and whatever they needed. If their mate was there, they would undoubtedly welcome them, granting them the same benefits as their original members.

"Welcome, Kieran. You've made a long journey," Benjamin said as they embraced.

"Benjamin," Kieran replied as they hugged, "it's always a pleasure to come for a visit. It has been long, but it distracts me to get out. I still have problems with Nessa. I feel she's mine, but Hunter, my bear, doesn't."

"The last time we spoke, you sounded interested, but that's it."

"She's been with us for over two years now. I don't know much about her past. But I love her, damn it!"

"I'm sorry; I can't even imagine what you must be feeling. Isn't there a way to confirm if she's yours?"

"In our case, as you know, we share our minds with our bears, and the recognition between mates must be mutual. Even though I feel Nessa is mine, Hunter, my bear, doesn't."

"It's strange; I can't make sense of why only you feel her as yours."

"Tell me about it. The feeling of having my soul complete is amazing, but I can't have her. I even thought about bonding with her without considering what Hunter thinks, but he will kill her. If I bond with her, he will kill her."

"Why?"

"Hunter wants his true mate, and I understand that. It would be like him imposing one of his mates on me; I would reject her for trying to find mine."

"I'm sorry," Benjamin said.

"Seeing her with an idiot is killing me, so I decided to go on a trip. Since I can't be present at the summit, and although I'll send Adam, one of my wolves, I prefer to read the agreement and sign it in person."

"Alright, let's take a tour of the town. It serves as a distraction for me and my damn wolf, who seems more restless than usual."

"You speak of him as if he's independent."

"I didn't mention it before because I haven't fully accepted it myself; only my enforcer knows."

"You honor me by trusting me."

"I trust you, Kieran. I've tried to hold him back, but I feel like he's about to take control."

"My bear could talk to him, to his spirit."

"Could he? Maybe he can help me understand."

Benjamin asked his pack members to take care of his house and not allow anyone in. Knowing they were secure, he sat down with Kieran to meditate. Hunter, Kieran's bear, found himself in a dark, misty area that felt icy; if he weren't so furry, he would have been in trouble.

𝐴 𝑏𝑒𝑎𝑟 𝑖𝑛 𝑚𝑦 𝑑𝑜𝑚𝑎𝑖𝑛. 𝐼 𝑘𝑛𝑜𝑤 𝑦𝑜𝑢, 𝐻𝑢𝑛𝑡𝑒𝑟, 𝐾𝑖𝑒𝑟𝑎𝑛'𝑠 𝑐𝑜𝑢𝑛𝑡𝑒𝑟𝑝𝑎𝑟𝑡

𝐼'𝑣𝑒 𝑐𝑜𝑚𝑒 𝑎𝑡 𝐵𝑒𝑛𝑗𝑎𝑚𝑖𝑛'𝑠 𝑟𝑒𝑞𝑢𝑒𝑠𝑡, 𝐻𝑢𝑛𝑡𝑒𝑟 𝑟𝑒𝑝𝑙𝑖𝑒𝑑.

𝑀𝑦 ℎ𝑢𝑚𝑎𝑛 𝑖𝑠 𝑎 𝑔𝑜𝑜𝑑 𝑙𝑒𝑎𝑑𝑒𝑟; ℎ𝑒'𝑠 𝑘𝑒𝑝𝑡 𝑚𝑒 𝑖𝑛 𝑐ℎ𝑒𝑐𝑘, 𝑏𝑢𝑡 𝐼 𝑓𝑒𝑒𝑙 𝑡ℎ𝑒 𝑛𝑒𝑒𝑑 𝑡𝑜 𝑔𝑒𝑡 𝑜𝑢𝑡. 𝑀𝑦 𝑚𝑎𝑡𝑒 𝑖𝑠 𝑐𝑙𝑜𝑠𝑒; 𝐼 𝑓𝑒𝑒𝑙 ℎ𝑒𝑟 𝑎𝑛𝑑 𝑘𝑛𝑜𝑤 ℎ𝑒𝑟 𝑠𝑢𝑓𝑓𝑒𝑟𝑖𝑛𝑔. 𝑌𝑜𝑢 𝑚𝑢𝑠𝑡 𝑡𝑒𝑙𝑙 𝐵𝑒𝑛𝑗𝑎𝑚𝑖𝑛 𝑡𝑜 𝑏𝑒 𝑣𝑖𝑔𝑖𝑙𝑎𝑛𝑡 𝑏𝑒𝑐𝑎𝑢𝑠𝑒 𝑡ℎ𝑒𝑟𝑒'𝑠 𝑛𝑜𝑡 𝑚𝑢𝑐ℎ 𝑡𝑖𝑚𝑒 𝑙𝑒𝑓𝑡 𝑏𝑒𝑓𝑜𝑟𝑒 𝐼 𝑡𝑎𝑘𝑒 𝑐𝑜𝑛𝑡𝑟𝑜𝑙.

𝑆ℎ𝑜𝑢𝑙𝑑 𝐵𝑒𝑛𝑗𝑎𝑚𝑖𝑛 𝑐𝑜𝑛𝑡𝑎𝑖𝑛 𝑦𝑜𝑢...? 𝑁𝑜, 𝑙𝑒𝑡 𝑚𝑒 𝑟𝑒𝑝ℎ𝑟𝑎𝑠𝑒 𝑡ℎ𝑎𝑡. 𝑆ℎ𝑜𝑢𝑙𝑑 𝑤𝑒 𝑐𝑜𝑛𝑡𝑎𝑖𝑛 𝑦𝑜𝑢 𝑎𝑛𝑑 𝑝𝑟𝑒𝑣𝑒𝑛𝑡 𝑦𝑜𝑢 𝑓𝑟𝑜𝑚 𝑐𝑜𝑚𝑖𝑛𝑔 𝑜𝑢𝑡?

𝑇ℎ𝑒𝑦 𝑐𝑜𝑢𝑙𝑑𝑛'𝑡 𝑒𝑣𝑒𝑛 𝑖𝑓 𝑡ℎ𝑒𝑦 𝑤𝑎𝑛𝑡𝑒𝑑 𝑡𝑜. 𝐼𝑓 𝐵𝑒𝑛𝑗𝑎𝑚𝑖𝑛 𝑘𝑒𝑒𝑝𝑠 𝑟𝑒𝑠𝑡𝑟𝑎𝑖𝑛𝑖𝑛𝑔 𝑚𝑒, 𝑡ℎ𝑒𝑟𝑒 𝑤𝑖𝑙𝑙 𝑐𝑜𝑚𝑒 𝑎 𝑚𝑜𝑚𝑒𝑛𝑡 𝑤ℎ𝑒𝑛 𝐼'𝑙𝑙 𝑏𝑟𝑒𝑎𝑘 𝑓𝑟𝑒𝑒, 𝑎𝑛𝑑 𝐼 𝑤𝑜𝑛'𝑡 𝑏𝑒 𝑎 𝑐𝑎𝑙𝑚 𝑤𝑜𝑙𝑓.

𝐵𝑒𝑐𝑎𝑢𝑠𝑒 𝑦𝑜𝑢'𝑟𝑒 𝑎𝑐𝑐𝑢𝑚𝑢𝑙𝑎𝑡𝑖𝑛𝑔 𝑝𝑜𝑤𝑒𝑟, 𝑠𝑜 𝑡𝑜 𝑠𝑝𝑒𝑎𝑘.

𝐸𝑥𝑎𝑐𝑡𝑙𝑦.

𝐷𝑎𝑚𝑛, 𝑡ℎ𝑎𝑡 𝑑𝑜𝑒𝑠𝑛'𝑡 𝑠𝑜𝑢𝑛𝑑 𝑙𝑖𝑘𝑒 𝑠𝑜𝑚𝑒𝑡ℎ𝑖𝑛𝑔 𝑠𝑖𝑚𝑝𝑙𝑒 𝑏𝑒𝑐𝑎𝑢𝑠𝑒 𝑖𝑓 𝑦𝑜𝑢 𝑘𝑒𝑒𝑝 𝑔𝑜𝑖𝑛𝑔 𝑙𝑖𝑘𝑒 𝑡ℎ𝑖𝑠, 𝑖𝑡 𝑤𝑖𝑙𝑙 𝑏𝑒 𝑒𝑣𝑒𝑛 ℎ𝑎𝑟𝑑𝑒𝑟 𝑓𝑜𝑟 𝑦𝑜𝑢 𝑡𝑜 𝑚𝑎𝑖𝑛𝑡𝑎𝑖𝑛 𝑏𝑎𝑙𝑎𝑛𝑐𝑒.

𝑇ℎ𝑎𝑡'𝑠 𝑤ℎ𝑦 𝐼 𝑛𝑒𝑒𝑑 𝑡𝑜 𝑟𝑒𝑙𝑒𝑎𝑠𝑒 𝑖𝑡, 𝑡𝑜 𝑏𝑒 𝑓𝑟𝑒𝑒 𝑏𝑒𝑐𝑎𝑢𝑠𝑒 𝐼'𝑚 𝑎𝑛 𝑖𝑛𝑑𝑖𝑣𝑖𝑑𝑢𝑎𝑙 𝑏𝑒𝑖𝑛𝑔 𝑖𝑚𝑝𝑟𝑖𝑠𝑜𝑛𝑒𝑑. 𝐼 𝑑𝑜𝑛'𝑡 𝑝𝑜𝑠𝑒 𝑎 𝑡ℎ𝑟𝑒𝑎𝑡 𝑡𝑜 𝑎𝑛𝑦𝑜𝑛𝑒 𝑒𝑥𝑐𝑒𝑝𝑡 𝑡ℎ𝑜𝑠𝑒 𝑤ℎ𝑜 𝑏𝑟𝑒𝑎𝑘 𝑡ℎ𝑒 𝑟𝑢𝑙𝑒𝑠. 𝑊𝑖𝑡ℎ𝑜𝑢𝑡 𝑚𝑒 𝑜𝑢𝑡𝑠𝑖𝑑𝑒, 𝐵𝑒𝑛𝑗𝑎𝑚𝑖𝑛 𝑖𝑠 𝑖𝑛𝑐𝑜𝑚𝑝𝑙𝑒𝑡𝑒; ℎ𝑒 𝑛𝑒𝑒𝑑𝑠 𝑚𝑒 𝑡𝑜 𝑙𝑒𝑎𝑑. 𝐻𝑒'𝑠 𝑎𝑓𝑟𝑎𝑖𝑑 𝑜𝑓 𝑚𝑦 𝑝𝑜𝑤𝑒𝑟, 𝑏𝑢𝑡 𝑤𝑒 𝑎𝑟𝑒 𝑜𝑛𝑒. 𝐻𝑖𝑠 𝑓𝑎𝑡ℎ𝑒𝑟 𝑤𝑎𝑠 𝑒𝑥𝑒𝑐𝑢𝑡𝑒𝑑 𝑓𝑜𝑟 𝑏𝑒𝑖𝑛𝑔 𝑙𝑖𝑘𝑒 ℎ𝑖𝑚, 𝑡ℎ𝑎𝑡'𝑠 𝑤ℎ𝑦 ℎ𝑒 𝑘𝑒𝑒𝑝𝑠 𝑚𝑒 ℎ𝑖𝑑𝑑𝑒𝑛.

𝑆𝑜, 𝑡ℎ𝑒 𝑜𝑡ℎ𝑒𝑟 𝑤𝑜𝑙𝑣𝑒𝑠 ℎ𝑎𝑣𝑒 𝑡ℎ𝑒 𝑠𝑎𝑚𝑒 𝑝𝑟𝑜𝑏𝑙𝑒𝑚?

𝑊𝑜𝑙𝑣𝑒𝑠 𝑎𝑛𝑑 𝑏𝑒𝑎𝑟𝑠 𝑎𝑟𝑒 𝑑𝑖𝑓𝑓𝑒𝑟𝑒𝑛𝑡, 𝐻𝑢𝑛𝑡𝑒𝑟. 𝑌𝑜𝑢𝑟 ℎ𝑢𝑚𝑎𝑛, 𝐾𝑖𝑒𝑟𝑎𝑛, 𝑎𝑛𝑑 ℎ𝑖𝑠 𝑘𝑖𝑛𝑑 ℎ𝑎𝑣𝑒 𝑡ℎ𝑒𝑖𝑟 𝑏𝑒𝑎𝑠𝑡𝑠 𝑠ℎ𝑎𝑟𝑖𝑛𝑔 𝑡ℎ𝑒𝑖𝑟 𝑚𝑖𝑛𝑑𝑠 𝑏𝑒𝑐𝑎𝑢𝑠𝑒 𝑡ℎ𝑒𝑖𝑟 𝑠𝑡𝑟𝑒𝑛𝑔𝑡ℎ 𝑖𝑠𝑛'𝑡 𝑓𝑜𝑐𝑢𝑠𝑒𝑑 𝑜𝑛 𝑓𝑖𝑔ℎ𝑡𝑖𝑛𝑔 𝑏𝑢𝑡 𝑜𝑛 𝑤𝑖𝑠𝑑𝑜𝑚, 𝑎𝑛𝑑 𝑠ℎ𝑎𝑟𝑖𝑛𝑔 𝑡ℎ𝑒𝑖𝑟 𝑚𝑖𝑛𝑑𝑠 𝑤𝑖𝑡ℎ 𝑏𝑒𝑎𝑟𝑠 𝑚𝑎𝑘𝑒𝑠 𝑡ℎ𝑒𝑚 𝑝𝑒𝑟𝑓𝑒𝑐𝑡. 𝑇ℎ𝑒 𝑜𝑡ℎ𝑒𝑟 𝑚𝑒𝑚𝑏𝑒𝑟𝑠 𝑜𝑓 𝑜𝑢𝑟 𝑝𝑎𝑐𝑘 𝑤𝑖𝑙𝑙 𝑛𝑒𝑣𝑒𝑟 ℎ𝑎𝑣𝑒 𝑤ℎ𝑎𝑡 𝐵𝑒𝑛𝑗𝑎𝑚𝑖𝑛 𝑎𝑛𝑑 𝐼 ℎ𝑎𝑣𝑒; 𝑜𝑛𝑙𝑦 𝑎𝑛 𝑎𝑙𝑝ℎ𝑎 ℎ𝑎𝑠 𝑖𝑡.

𝐻𝑜𝑤 𝑤𝑖𝑙𝑙 ℎ𝑒 𝑙𝑒𝑡 𝑦𝑜𝑢 𝑜𝑢𝑡?

𝑊ℎ𝑒𝑛 𝑡ℎ𝑒 𝑡𝑖𝑚𝑒 𝑖𝑠 𝑟𝑖𝑔ℎ𝑡, ℎ𝑒 𝑤𝑖𝑙𝑙 𝑘𝑛𝑜𝑤, 𝑏𝑢𝑡 ℎ𝑒 𝑚𝑢𝑠𝑡 𝑠𝑡𝑜𝑝 𝑟𝑒𝑠𝑡𝑟𝑎𝑖𝑛𝑖𝑛𝑔 𝑚𝑒.

Benjamin felt the change; his wolf was at rest, so he opened his eyes, but Kieran was still in a trance, and he knew it; the bear was still in control.

"Hunter?"

"Alpha, you have quite a talkative wolf."

Hunter told Benjamin everything, who listened in amazement.

"So, I just need to let him out."

"Correct, Alpha. Let me tell you, no matter how strong I am, Kieran doesn't lose his essence. Sometimes we are in more control, but we know that humans are the ones in charge."

"But if you don't dominate Kieran, why does he fear that you'll kill Nessa? I'm sorry for asking something so private, but for me, there's a lot at stake."

"You have the right to ask because my actions contradict my words. I won't kill Nessa, never. Because I know what she means to Kieran."

"Why don't you accept her?"

"Wolves and vampires don't mate with just any human; there must be a connection. That means if their mates are human, somewhere in their family tree, there's an immortal, even if they themselves are just human."

"For us to be mates, our partner must have some immortality in their family; I know that."

"Well, we bears need the other nature of the human to be awake. To put it simply, it doesn't matter if our mates are just humans, but at least one of their parents must be a bear, and Nessa isn't like that. If Kieran mates with her, he will eventually see her die, and I don't want that."

"You're doing it to protect him."

"Yes, and he doesn't understand. I understand that he feels she's his and she may be, but she doesn't have what's needed."

"It's a lot to take in; let Kieran come back."

"I will."

"Thank you for your help."

"It's been a pleasure, and by the way, your wolf is truly powerful."

𝑻𝒉𝒆 𝑴𝒐𝒏𝒕𝒂𝒏𝒂 𝑷𝒂𝒄𝒌

Several hours later, as they wandered through the town, Benjamin was lost in thoughts about everything that was to come-how he was supposed to live with a talkative wolf in his head and how it had been not to have it active. He didn't pay attention to the scent until it was too late. By the time he became fully aware, it was only a faint trace, too weak to follow.

Unfortunately, not only Benjamin and his pack were there, and he wasn't the only one who noticed. Hidden in the shadows was Olivier, a dangerous enemy who had been keeping an eye on him and had also caught the scent.

And his luck had changed-thought the enemy with a smirk-because the Alpha's mate was none other than Claire, the young woman who was studying at the university with his son, Christian.

Since the day Olivier left Benjamin's pack, he patiently awaited an opportunity, and that morning marked the end of months of waiting. His son, Christian, had his eyes on Claire, but she kept her distance. It was time for Christian to learn that if he wanted something, he had to simply take it. Christian was a fool-though it might be hard to accept-a thug who targeted women.

Olivier's heart had hardened after the death of Christian's mother during childbirth. Perhaps that's why he hadn't paid enough attention to his son. By the time he realized how troubled Christian was, it was too late.

Although Olivier tried to guide him down the right path, hoping that someday he would challenge Benjamin for the Alpha position, his son wanted nothing to do with the pack.

A year before, they were expelled because Christian had brutally attacked the son of the Alpha of the Alaska pack. This was considered a terrible act of betrayal as the young wolf had not provoked Christian. Concerned for his son's fate, Olivier took responsibility, challenged Benjamin, and lost.

So, for that year, he had been trying to figure out how to exact revenge, and he finally had the tool he would use to bring down his former Alpha. Yes, his son had committed an unforgivable act, but Olivier believed it wasn't grave enough to cost him his place in the pack. In a hurry to execute his plan efficiently, he ordered one of his men to enter Claire's house, attack her, and leave evidence for Benjamin to understand what had happened. He also instructed them to destroy everything and ensure that the scent of human blood filled the entire room.

However, the wolf, instead of following the man's orders, went in search of the Alpha. Benjamin, upon seeing him, detected the scent of his former pack member in the wolf.

'He wants you to attack my mate,' Benjamin said with anger.

'That's correct, Alpha. Time is running out, and if I don't return with her in my possession, he'll send someone else.'

Without wasting a moment, Benjamin arrived at his mate's house. When Claire opened the door, she looked surprised. He wasn't just any man; he was handsome and tall, very tall, and one of the strongest wolves in the country. Would she believe that she was involved in a plot against him?

"Hello, I know you probably won't believe this, but I'm a wolf," Benjamin said.

"The Alpha, Benjamin, I know. One of my college classmates has been sharing pictures of you because he's recruiting people to attack your pack."

"What has been the reaction?"

"I thought they would refuse because, in general, wolves don't inspire fear among us as they coexist without causing trouble. But I was surprised to see how many started joining his cause. They warned me to stay away if I didn't intend to join. But I can't do that, so I was about to go out and look for him."

"You're not afraid of me?"

"They told me that you're a dangerous creature and that I'd die if I spoke to you. But I know there are women and children among your pack, an attack like that would kill innocents."

"There are things about me that you'll understand soon, but I will never harm you."

"I don't know why, but I don't feel afraid."

"That has an explanation, which you'll receive when I get you to safety. I'd like to take you with us because a dangerous man has ordered that you be attacked. It's not just the warning at the university; they've already decided to get rid of you," Benjamin explained.

"Has he come to protect me?" Claire asked.

"Yes, I have because you are connected to me in ways you don't yet understand. Come on, there's no time to waste."

Once they stepped outside, they were surrounded by over thirty heavily armed men. Although Benjamin had more than twelve wolves with him, they couldn't do much against firearms. Plus, his mate was human, and she would die during the attack.

He carefully positioned her behind him to shield her. They would have to go through his lifeless body to reach her. His wolves formed a barrier between him and the humans, growling to show how wild and dangerous they were when it came to defending their alpha.

His mate instinctively trusted him, holding onto him tightly, which infuriated him. He didn't want her to feel that way. Her breathing was labored, and she trembled. He would kill all those who had managed to make her so scared.

"It's simple, Alpha. The human comes with us," one of the men declared.

"No," Benjamin replied firmly.

"We'll start killing your wolves."

Benjamin's companions remained on high alert, awaiting their alpha's command.

"I'll go," Claire said, looking at the weapons with panic in her eyes. For her, to protect her, Alpha Benjamin would lose his pack.

"No," Benjamin insisted.

"Alpha, really, the numbers aren't in our favor, but I trust that you'll rescue me. I believe you will."

"I will, just wait for me."

"Okay."